Commerce Minister outlines measures to boost economy and accelerate US trade talks
Suphajee Suthumpun details plans to protect Thai SMEs, safeguard exports, and conclude reciprocal trade agreement with the US by year-end.
Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun addressed parliament during the Cabinet policy presentation on Tuesday, highlighting key government and Ministry of Commerce initiatives. These include trade negotiations with the United States, measures to reduce the cost of living, prevent low-quality imports and nominee companies, enhance SME capabilities, and support agricultural products.
Suphajee explained that progress has been made in reciprocal tariff negotiations with the US, culminating in a Joint Statement on July 31, 2025. Given the limited timeframe for government work, Thailand aims to finalise the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) by the end of the year, covering goods, services, and investment. Negotiations will be conducted carefully to avoid adverse impacts on domestic production and markets.
Additionally, the Ministry of Commerce has designated the Department of Foreign Trade as the sole authority to issue Certificates of Origin (C/O) for exports to the US. The ministry has increased the list of monitored products to 65 items and implemented AI-based verification of origin, along with strict anti-fraud measures. This has dramatically reduced counterfeit C/Os: from 149 in 2022 and 168 in 2023, to just 5 in 2024, and none recorded in 2025 so far.
Thailand currently employs 31 anti-dumping (AD) measures while facing 73 AD measures from other countries. For anti-circumvention (AC) measures, Thailand has used 6 and been subject to 4. Safeguard (SG) measures are under investigation, while countervailing duties (CVD) have not been used domestically but have been applied against Thai exports, including 7 cases by the US. These measures aim to support Thai exporters in a timely and effective manner.
The Ministry of Commerce has set out improvements to the process:
- Reduce the petition review period from 4 months to 1 month
- Use AI to analyse and verify large volumes of data, improving speed and accuracy
- Shorten investigation time from 12 months to 9 months
These measures will enable Thailand to protect trade more efficiently, respond quickly to dumping and unfair practices, and safeguard the interests of Thai businesses.
VAT enforcement and FTA initiatives
Suphajee stated that, to tackle the influx of low-quality imported goods and nominee businesses, the Ministry of Commerce, in coordination with 16 agencies, has collected over 2.175 billion baht in VAT from small-scale imports, prosecuted 81,719 offenders, and inspected more than 54,000 online products. AI systems are being used to supervise the e-commerce market, alongside strict measures to curb nominee businesses.
The ministry is also pushing measures to reduce the cost of living. The Thong Fah Fair programme and discount campaigns on over 1,300 items have saved citizens more than 5 billion baht. Collaboration with private hospitals has enabled transparency on medicine prices, allowing the public to purchase drugs externally, saving a total of 32.4 billion baht, alongside price control on essential medicines and medical supplies worth more than 1.1 billion baht.
Support is being extended to entrepreneurs in seven Thai-Cambodian border provinces. Measures include budget-friendly Thong Fah fairs to reduce living costs, expanding market access for farmers and business operators in these provinces through fairs in other provinces, and online sales via Thailand Post. Exporters are being assisted to find new market channels through business matching with logistics providers and participation in other border trade fairs.
Regarding Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), efforts are underway to conclude agreements between Thailand and the EU and South Korea within the current government’s term. Suphajee emphasised that it is essential for the private sector to utilise the benefits of FTAs, as negotiating multiple agreements is of limited value if rights are not exercised. The government will actively promote awareness and support to help private businesses take advantage of FTA benefits, while also exploring new markets in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Africa, ASEAN, and South Asia.
